MANILA, Philippines — The achievements of the House of Representatives helped Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez obtain high trust and performance ratings recently, several lawmakers said on Thursday.
In a statement on Wednesday, House officials like Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr., Deputy Speaker David Suarez, Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, chairpersons of the quad committee, and members of the Young Guns bloc said that Romualdez’ ability to unite different political parties allowed important bills to be passed.
The lawmakers were referring to Romualdez’ ratings according to a survey from OCTA Research, which stated that the Speaker had 58 percent trust rating and a 59 percent score on his performance.
“Speaker Romualdez leads by example – he’s hardworking, meticulous in work, and has his sights on the Filipinos’ welfare,” the lawmakers said in Filipino in a joint statement.
“Many of these laws are landmark legislation and reflect on a legislative body that is efficient, effective, and dedicated to the needs of the Filipino people.”
Quad committee chairpersons — Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez, Abang Lingkod party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano, Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante, and vice chair Antipolo City 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop, along with other lawmakers thanked Romualdez for allowing panels to seek accountability and promote good governance by exercising oversight functions.
“Speaker Romualdez ensures transparency and integrity in governance. His guidance has allowed us to investigate and address critical issues such as agricultural smuggling, anomalies in power costs and the misuse of public funds,” they stated.
“These investigations reflect the Speaker’s commitment to ensuring that public funds and resources are used responsibly,” they added.
Young Guns members meanwhile said that Romualdez ensured inclusivity in the legislative process as the House youth movement was allowed to contribute to lawmaking and other advocacies.
The 19th Congress has been hailed in the past for being active, having approved over 4,760 measures which led to 166 laws in just 178 session days.
Aside from lawmaking, the panels in the House were also praised for conducting investigations of sensitive issues.
The quad committee, for example, launched an extensive probe into illegal activities in Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators hubs, the illicit drug trade, alleged extrajudicial killings in the past administration’s drug war, and a system supposedly rewarding erring cops.
The House committee on good government and public accountability meanwhile checked on allegations that Vice President Sara Duterte’s offices — the Office of the Vice President and previously, the Department of Education — misused confidential fund allocations in 2022 and 2023.